Like Buzz Aldrin of that mission, Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer waxes semi-eloquently about ramping up manned space flight.
But, the ideas he sees being rooted in Apollo 11 aren’t.
Environmentalism? “Silent Spring” came out seven years before Apollo 11. “Desert Solitaire” came out the year before. The picture of the pendulant Earth as pale blue orb hanging above the curvature of the moon was shot by Apollo 8 (which he does note) and could have come from an unmanned mission anyway.
Beyond that, as for “going for the wonder and the glory”?
Been there and done that, to put it bluntly. We already have the pale blue orb pic, etc. Going back to the moon would be… blasé.
And, as I blogged yesterday about Buzz Aldrin’s push to land men on Mars, fuhgeddabout it. Even glory has price tags.
As for benefits? NASA is ultimately a scientific outfit; it’s not about poetics. And, if it’s primarily about private-sector technology benefits, NASA has paved the way enough for folks like Richard Branson to do that.
At bottom line, Krauthammer’s column is about American exceptionalism, a semi-soft-power version of American imperialism, and perhaps in the background, a little American chauvinism, and even a bit of American manifest destiny in the background, perhaps.
Showing posts with label Krauthammer (Charles). Show all posts
Showing posts with label Krauthammer (Charles). Show all posts
July 17, 2009
June 19, 2009
Punditry on Iran from serious to vapid – read Fisk!
Jeffrey Goldberg at Atlantic has a good overview of how the situation in Iran has bent or broken some traditional American political categories on foreign affairs stances. I don’t totally agree with his take on realism, but it’s still a good piece.
One of the people he gives a bit of a flogging is fellow Atlantic contributor Andrew Sullivan. And, Sully delivers, right on cue. Like his post of Thursday claming “this is the central event of modern history right now.”
Ahh, such prophetic foresight! And, with it, the breathless idea that:
A. Mousavi really is that different;
B. That the election was, for sure, rigged, and rigged badly.
Sully also makes unwarranted assumptions vis-à-vis other world events. For example, Pakistani citizens taking matters into their own hands against the Pakistani Taliban earlier this week. Sully, are you sure that’s less important? Or North Korea’s plans to launch yet another missile? Or, something that may happen next week that we don’t even know about?
If you really want vapid, though, Joe Klein says head for the dynamic neocon duo of Krauthammer and Wolfowitz.
And, if you really want serious, your must-go starting point is Robert Fisk of the Independent who, unlike Sully, University of Michigan professor Juan Cole of liberal darlingdom, Wolfowitz, or Krauthammer, is an actual reporter, not a columnist, and has spent more than 30 years living in and reporting from the region.,
He’s a realist with generally somewhat liberalist sympathies and knows what the hell he’s talking about. His latest dispatch engages in shooting down inside-Iran rumors, such as claims that Iranian cops are really Hizbullah.
Next, he challenges the fantasies of the likes of Cole:
In other words, Ahmadinejad has had the support of the poor all along. Juan Cole can keep on deluding himself about that, but at some point, I think he recognizes that he’s going beyond self-delusion. (Cole is approaching the point of PC liberalism, foreign policy division, in my book. Sully is just approaching his normal fatuous stupidity which his support for Obama disguised for six months.)
That said, Cole does have a good guest poster, former Reuters Tehran bureau chief Jeffrey Lyons, offering an overview of the likely mindset of many senior Shi’ite clerics at this time.
One of the people he gives a bit of a flogging is fellow Atlantic contributor Andrew Sullivan. And, Sully delivers, right on cue. Like his post of Thursday claming “this is the central event of modern history right now.”
Ahh, such prophetic foresight! And, with it, the breathless idea that:
A. Mousavi really is that different;
B. That the election was, for sure, rigged, and rigged badly.
Sully also makes unwarranted assumptions vis-à-vis other world events. For example, Pakistani citizens taking matters into their own hands against the Pakistani Taliban earlier this week. Sully, are you sure that’s less important? Or North Korea’s plans to launch yet another missile? Or, something that may happen next week that we don’t even know about?
If you really want vapid, though, Joe Klein says head for the dynamic neocon duo of Krauthammer and Wolfowitz.
And, if you really want serious, your must-go starting point is Robert Fisk of the Independent who, unlike Sully, University of Michigan professor Juan Cole of liberal darlingdom, Wolfowitz, or Krauthammer, is an actual reporter, not a columnist, and has spent more than 30 years living in and reporting from the region.,
He’s a realist with generally somewhat liberalist sympathies and knows what the hell he’s talking about. His latest dispatch engages in shooting down inside-Iran rumors, such as claims that Iranian cops are really Hizbullah.
Next, he challenges the fantasies of the likes of Cole:
When I visited the slums of south Tehran on Friday, for example, I found that the number of Ahmadinejad supporters grew as Mousavi's support dribbled away.
In other words, Ahmadinejad has had the support of the poor all along. Juan Cole can keep on deluding himself about that, but at some point, I think he recognizes that he’s going beyond self-delusion. (Cole is approaching the point of PC liberalism, foreign policy division, in my book. Sully is just approaching his normal fatuous stupidity which his support for Obama disguised for six months.)
That said, Cole does have a good guest poster, former Reuters Tehran bureau chief Jeffrey Lyons, offering an overview of the likely mindset of many senior Shi’ite clerics at this time.
June 18, 2009
Post cans Froomkin
Wow.
Dan Froomkin’s White House blog was surely the most-read news/politics blog the Washington Post had.
So, why? Per Greenwald, the WaPost basically can’t tell us yet. Not coherently.
Post ombudsman Andrew Alexander confirms Post editors’ incoherent non-commenting.
Charles Krautschmuck probably just had an orgasm.
Dan Froomkin’s White House blog was surely the most-read news/politics blog the Washington Post had.
So, why? Per Greenwald, the WaPost basically can’t tell us yet. Not coherently.
Post ombudsman Andrew Alexander confirms Post editors’ incoherent non-commenting.
Charles Krautschmuck probably just had an orgasm.
January 14, 2009
Obama falls prey to the Village – Broder suck-up ahead
Last night, President-elect Barack Obama dined with a bunch of mainlined conservative pundits. (More at Huffington Post. ) Tonight, he’s supposed to do the same with “liberal” ones.
It’s clear, as Marc Ambinder says at the first link, that B.O. is wanting to snuggle up to mainstream opinion-makers inside Washington, D.C.’s political Village.
Hmm, I might have to Photoshop a picture of Obama burying his head up David Broder’s ass.
And, listening to Krauthammer for hours at the conservative confab? Doorknob, wouldn’t that be like a new version of waterboarding? Bill Kristol would not be much better. At least you could talk baseball with Will.
It’s clear, as Marc Ambinder says at the first link, that B.O. is wanting to snuggle up to mainstream opinion-makers inside Washington, D.C.’s political Village.
Hmm, I might have to Photoshop a picture of Obama burying his head up David Broder’s ass.
And, listening to Krauthammer for hours at the conservative confab? Doorknob, wouldn’t that be like a new version of waterboarding? Bill Kristol would not be much better. At least you could talk baseball with Will.
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